justice

The Ched Evans story shows no sign of going away. In recent weeks there have been many articles and debates about about a convicted rapist returning to his old football club. Some argue that having served his time, he should be allowed to get on with his life. Others say that footballers are seen as heroes and Ched Evans certainly is not one.

This story is on a national level but what of those that are on a local level but still ignite debate and anger. Rape is an emotive topic and over the years the justice system has been criticised for not being harsh enough. So, then it was surprising to hear the following; a story I heard from a friend who lives in Surrey. Her local shopping centre, The Belfry, allows a company to trade in its centre, where the owner is in jail for rape. She tells me that after hearing about this she contacted The Belfry, but the management were not keen to do anything about it. I was surprised at their reaction, surely no shopping centre would want that kind of person associated with their centre? I decided to look into the claims to see if they were true and what transpires is an interesting series of events.

The convicted Rapist: Daniel Cresswell

Daniel Cresswell was sentenced on the 27th June 2014 at Leeds Crown Court to 7 years of imprisonment for the rape of a female aged 16 or over. That is all the information I was able to obtain from the court but they have directed me to a company who can provide the transcripts. I have contacted them and will await their response.

Certo Enterprises has been trading since January 2012. From their website, they sell electronic cigarettes and accessories. They also have retail units in shopping centres across the UK. From Companies House, it seems Certo Enterprises was set up with 2 directors: Patrick John Willis and Daniel Anthony Cresswell (convicted rapist). It seems that Patrick John Willis has resigned from the company on the 10th October 2014.

The company trades at; http://www.certoent.com and from the following shopping centres: (This is just a some of the shopping centres from where Certo Enterprises operates – I will update more soon)

1) The Ashley Centre – Epsom

Ashley House Annexe, Ashley Road, Epsom, Surrey,KT18 5AB

tel: 01372742548

email: info@theashleycentre.co.uk – Centre Manager is called David Beddows.

The Ashley Centre is owned by Bride Hall and the Carlyle Group.

2) Saint Nicholas Centre – Sutton

St Nicholas Way, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 1AY

Tel: 02087701777

The Saint Nicholas Centre is managed by Shoppertainment management. Reach them at: info@shoppertainmentmanagement.co.uk

3) Marlands Shopping Centre – Southampton

Civic centre Road, Southampton, SO14 7SJ

Tel: 02380339104

The Centre Managers name is Tim Keeping. Contact him at: tim@intomarlands.co.uk

I have contacted the shopping centre managers and owners to get a comment on whether they are aware of Daniel Cresswell’s rape conviction. I will report back with their responses.